Simulation of Climate Data for Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Design Problems

Multi-year daily climate datasets are required in the design of several different geotechnical and geoenvironmental projects. The compilation of multi-year daily measured climate data requires a considerable amount of time and effort. The amount of time and effort depends on the availability, completeness, and quality of the measured climate dataset. In this research, a general-purpose climate generator SIMETAW is used to generate daily climate variables of interest from readily available monthly climate normals for nine different sites across Canada. The climates at these sites range from semi-arid to pre-humid. The historical measured data for these locations were also compiled. Measured data were compared with simulated climate data based on visual presentations and numerical measures. The comparison revealed that SIMETAW is capable of simulating various climates types across Canada. Simulated climate data was used in simulations of infiltration in unsaturated soils, soil cover assessment and estimation of swelling potential of expansive soils. Adequacy of simulated climate data for use in geotechnical and geoenvironmental design problems was assessed by comparing simulations run with measured and simulated climate data. The comparison indicated that for all practical purposes, the daily climate datasets generated from monthly climate normals are quite adequate for use in geotechnical and geoenvironmental problems. It is anticipated that the work presented in this research will facilitate the future researchers and practitioners by making the climate data more accessible.